1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electric connection box (i.e., an electric junction box), such for example as a relay box, a fuse box and a power supply box, mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various electric connection boxes are mounted on an automobile, and among these, there is the type of electric connection box in which a connector is provided at an end portion of a circuit board, received within the electric connection box, in such a posture that a fitting surface of the connector for a mating connector is directed outwardly (see; for example, JP-A-2000-92659).
FIGS. 3 and 4 show such a conventional electric connection box. This electric connection box includes a flat plate-like upper surface cover 1, a flat plate-like lower surface cover 2, a circuit board 10 received in a generally horizontal posture within a space formed between the upper and lower surface covers 1 and 2, relays (electric parts) 11 mounted on an upper surface of the circuit board 10, connectors 3 mounted on the upper surface of the circuit board 10 at end portions thereof in such a manner that their fitting surfaces for their respective mating connectors are directed outwardly, and a soldering surface clearance 15 secured at the lower side of the circuit board 10 for the purpose of protecting those portions of terminals 11a (of the relays 11) and terminals 3a (of the connectors 3) soldered to a circuit (circuit patterns) formed on the circuit board 10. In this case, each connector 3 is fixed to the circuit board 10 by screw-fastening a fixing bracket 4, formed on and projecting from a lower end portion of a rear surface of the connector 3, to the circuit board 10.
In the above conventional electric connection box, each connector 3 is mounted on the upper surface of the circuit board 10 at the end portion thereof, and therefore only the relays 11 are disposed within the range of the height of the connector 3, and a height (thickness) dimension H1 of the electric connection box is determined by the height of the connector 3, the thickness of the circuit board 10, and the soldering surface clearance 15 at the lower side of the circuit board 10, and therefore it has been difficult to achieve a thin design. And besides, many dead spaces S exist at the lower sides of the connectors 3 and at the upper sides of the relays 11, and therefore a compact design has not been achieved.
Furthermore, the fixing bracket 4 for fixing the connector 3 to the circuit board 10 is provided at the lower end portion of the connector 3 in the direction of the height thereof as shown in FIG. 4, and therefore a force A, applied when fitting and disconnecting the mating connector (not shown) relative to the connector 3, can not be transmitted to the circuit board 10 in a well-balanced manner, and an unnecessary bending moment B is applied to the connector 3 and the circuit board 10, and as a result there have been fears that the soldered portions of the terminals 3a, the screw-fastened portion of the fixing bracket 4, etc., are damaged.